


Mess Ups

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: After messing up during a show, Jack is nervous to get back onstage.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Mess Ups

“There you are! I was beginning to think I’d have to go wake you up or something,” Alex joked as Jack slowly walked into the front lounge of their bus.  
“Well, I’m up now, but it’s not like it matters,” Jack glumly replied, looking through a cabinet in the kitchenette, in search of something fast and easy for breakfast.   
Alex frowned to himself, he figured that Jack wouldn’t be in high spirits after their show the previous night, but he didn’t think that it would be this bad.  
“Hey, don’t say that, dude. Every musician has off nights sometimes,” Alex replied, as Jack sat next to him on the couch, opening up a cereal bar.  
“I know, but last night was so bad. I literally can’t remember the last time I’ve messed up so much during a show,” Jack said, taking a bite of his breakfast.  
“Well, I bet tonight will be just fine, and you’ll get your normal stage confidence back,” Alex assured.  
“I don’t know, I bet I’ll just end up doing worse, if that’s even possible. I bet the guitarist from our opener could go on in my place,” Jack pointed out in a sad voice.  
“We’re not going to do that; the kids wouldn’t really be seeing All Time Low if we did that. You’ve had off nights before, why is this one bothering you so much?” Alex aske back.  
“Well, aside from this time being generally really bad, I was sober. Normally, if I mess up onstage, it’s because I’m a bit drunk. I think I had one drink yesterday, so I should’ve had my shit together,” Jack explained.  
“I see where you’re coming from, but please don’t be so hard on yourself, dude. We’ll be at the venue for sound check soon, and you’ll do just fine with that, which will show you that you’ll be fine for the show tonight. It’s all going to be okay, and the three of us have your back, dude,” Alex promised, smiling at his friend.  
“Hopefully things will go okay. Hey, where are Zack and Rian?” Jack asked, noticing that they weren’t in the lounge.  
“I think they’re playing video games in the back. They got ready for today super early, like, before I even got up,” Alex explained.  
“Shit, I guess I should probably get to doing that, too,” Jack said, standing up.  
“Good idea, we’ll be at the venue pretty soon. Hey, don’t be worried about today, it’s all going to be fine, I promise. We’ve all got you, man,” Alex stated, hoping to assure his friend.   
Jack just gave a small smile before leaving the front lounge, to go to the bus bathroom to quickly get himself ready for the day. As he got dressed, Jack couldn’t help but feel nervous for the long day they had ahead of them. He’d really appreciated everything that Alex had just told him but having as many mess ups as he did the night before could really damage someone’s pride. Jack didn’t want to have a repeat of the night before, but now that he was so nervous, he figured that it was inevitable at this point.   
By the time that Jack was finally ready for the day, the bus had arrived at the venue. Jack followed his bandmates off of the bus and into the venue where their crew were quickly setting up their gear so they could sound check.   
While they waited, Alex looked over to Jack, and could tell that he was starting to get nervous again, so Alex walked over to him, and tapped him on the shoulder.  
“Hey, are you doing okay, man?” Alex asked, quietly enough so that only Jack could hear him.  
“I really feel like today is just going to be a repeat of last night,” Jack replied, still staring at the stage.  
“Well, if you overthink it like that, then it honestly probably will be. Today is a new day, and it has the potential to be fine. Don’t think about all of this, just go up there and do what you love; play guitar,” Alex replied.   
“It’s sound check time!” Rian exclaimed, as Jack was going to reply.  
“You’ve got this, let’s go,” Alex said, walking on to the stage with Jack. After they made sure that all of the amps were working, it was time to run through some of their songs.  
“I think we should run through all of Backseat Serenade,” Zack suggested to the group.  
“Good idea, let’s do it!” Alex exclaimed, as they started to play the song.   
Jack wasn’t able to get out of his head about the previous night and made a few mistakes as they played. He hoped that it would only happen during that song, but he realized he was wrong when he continued to make mistakes, some more noticeable than the others, throughout the entire sound check, taking a toll on his ego and pride.   
By the end of the sound check, Jack was starting to feel panicked, which the rest of the band could clearly see.  
“Jack, are you-“ Rian started, before Jack silently ran offstage, and to the green room. The rest of the band all looked at each other, sharing worried expressions.  
“He’s really upset about last night,” Zack stated.  
“Yeah, this isn’t good, since we have a show tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so freaked out or self-conscious about playing a show,” Rian added.  
“He talked to me some this morning on the bus, and he’s really upset with himself over this. I get it, but like you said, this isn’t good. he even talked about us having the guitarist from our opener fill in for him,” Alex explained, making everyone even more worried.  
“He knows how to play, and very well at that, if only he could play and just not feel pressure,” Zack stated.  
“I just had an idea! I’m going to go find him, I’ll catch up with you guys later!” Alex replied, sounding excited. He ran offstage, and went over to where Jack’s guitar was, and took it with him before making his way to the green room that Jack was in.   
When Alex opened up the door, he saw Jack sitting on the couch, crying some, which broke Alex’s heart. The door opening caught Jack’s attention, and as soon as he saw Alex, he quickly sat up and tried to wipe away his tears.  
“Hey, Jack, how’re you doing?” Alex asked, leaning both guitars against the coffee table before sitting next to his friend on the couch.  
“Not great, to be totally honest. Dude, I don’t think I can play the show tonight. The thought of fucking up so badly again is terrifying to me, and I don’t want to let the fans down by not having my shit together,” Jack admitted, his voice trembling some.  
“Hey, don’t say that. I can promise you that you not being out there at all would be a bigger letdown to the fans, much more than you messing up a few notes,” Alex said back.  
“But, it wasn’t just a few notes, it was major parts of songs. Just knowing I did that is going to psych me out, and I really don’t think I can do it, man. There’s just too much pressure,” Jack said back, looking at the ground.  
“Well, we’re going to play through the set, but with no pressure at all. I brought our guitars in here, thinking that we could play through everything, with you on lead, and me on rhythm, like usual. It’ll just be the two of us, I’ll sing everything, too, so it feels a bit closer to the real thing. You’ll get some practice, and hopefully it’ll help you to get some of your confidence back,” Alex explained, handing Jack his guitar.  
“You don’t have to do all of that, Alex, that’ll be a lot on your voice, and-“ Jack started.  
“We’re doing it. Don’t worry about me, I just want to help you out as much as I can, so you’ll feel better about everything. Come on, let’s start,” Alex said, holding Jack’s guitar out for him to take.  
“Fine, let’s do it,” Jack finally decided, grabbing the guitar. They shared a smile as they started into the first song of their set. By the time they were done, Jack had a huge smile on his face.  
“Someone looks a lot happier!” Alex exclaimed as he put his guitar down.  
“I definitely am, and it’s all thanks to you, dude. I think I’ll be okay for tonight, but I’m still kind of nervous,” Jack confessed.  
“Well, I think that’s okay, I’d feel the same. When we’re onstage later, just remember how well this went, especially if you start to panic. Just pretend that it’s just the two of us playing, just like we just did. Everything is going to be fine later, I promise,” Alex assured.  
“Thanks, Alex, you’re the best,” Jack replied.  
“I’m going to put our guitars back before our techs kill us for keeping them back here, then we can just chill out until it’s show time,” Alex suggested, standing up, and grabbing the guitars.  
“That sounds like a plan to me,” Jack replied.   
Once the guitars were back where they were supposed to be, the four of them hung out in the green room, talking about how they’d spend the day off they’d have the next day, and trying to figure out what bat they would go to after the gig they were about to play. Jack was glad to hang out with his friends, it served as a bit of a distraction from everything that was going on in his head. While practicing their set with Alex was helpful, Jack was still quite nervous for the show.   
They all talked amongst each other until they had about ten minutes before they were due onstage, when they all walked over to grab their instruments. The nerves were starting to come back to Jack, which Alex was very quick to pick up on.  
“It’s all going to be fine, don’t stress yourself out so much,” Alex advised, to which Jack just smiled in reply. Eventually, it was time for them to take the stage, so they walked on to a cheering crowd, and immediately started into their first song.   
For the first few songs, Jack did fine, not messing up once, but once they got to the outro of Damned If I Do Ya, Jack started to have some trouble with his part. Alex looked over to Jack and saw the destressed look on his friend’s face and knew that he had to do something. Thankful that this is where they’d talk a bit in the set, Alex walked up to his microphone.  
“How are you guys doing? You all rock!” Alex exclaimed, earning insanely loud cheers as a reply.  
“Alright, I like the sound of that. You know what else I like the sound of? I love to hear Jack play guitar, don’t you all?” Alex asked getting an even louder response this time.  
“If you all like to hear Jack play, then on the count of three, I’m going to need you all to start chanting his name as loud as you can! One, two, three!” Alex yelled, right before he joined the crowd in chanting Jack’s name.   
Rian and Zack took part in this, as well, and Alex looked over to Jack, and noticed that the look of embarrassment and fear was shifting into an appreciative smile, which is what Alex had been hoping for.  
“I need you guys to keep that up as we start into our next song, which is opened with an amazing solo by Jack! Take it away, man!” Alex exclaimed.   
The crowd continued to chant his name as he started into Backseat Serenade, not missing a note. Alex started the first verse, and by the chorus, everyone was singing along with him, no longer chanting Jack’s name.   
At the end of the first chorus, Alex looked over to Jack to see how he was doing, and Jack looked over to Alex at the same time. Seconds later, Jack mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Alex, making them both smile. Alex nodded in reply before starting to sing the second verse, happy that Jack had his confidence back.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is an idea I've had for a while now! I hope you enjoyed this fic, and please send in requests if you have them! Thank you for reading, it means a lot. Lots of love, Liv.


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